Snow melting apparatus



71 u nu 71-", mum

Nov. 4, 19 41. w. J. OBRIEN 2,261,732

snow MELTING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z 73 7 /E I F 95. ,Zjci

1941- w. J. O'BRIEN 2,26 ,732 Q SNOW MELTING APPARATUS M Inverzfaf 3 6 26/1 4 Nov. 4, 1941. w. J. OBRIEN 2,251,732

SNOW MELTING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1940 SSheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED STTES PATENT OFFICE SNOW MELTING APPARATUS William OBrien, Boston, Mass. Application May 8, 1940, Serial No. 334,009

6 Claims. (Cl. 126-3435) This invention relates to snow melting apparatus.

The principal object of my invention is to provide apparatus that can supply enough heated water to a snow melting chamber to melt snow that is steadily put into it. Another object of my invention is to provide a snow-receiving receptacle equipped with snow-pulverizing or grinding means that is adjacent said snow melting chamber, so that the snow may more readily be melted because of having been rendered finer by said pulverizing means. Another object is to provide mechanism whereby a well-known type of motor can be operably connected to said snowpulverizing means and can also supply said snowmelting chamber with a steady supply of hot water. A further object is to provide a movable chute for the purpose of more evenly distributing snow supplied to said chamber.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and operative arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawings and specification. such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and, therefore, I am not to be limited to said disclosure; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my apparatus attached to a well known motor vehicle truck.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of my ap- II paratus shown connected to an internal combustion motor.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of my snowmelting chamber connected to the motor for heating the water supplied to it, and also showing conduits branching from the exhaust pipe extending into the snow-melting chamber, and Figure 4 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view showing details of the means for supporting and rotating the funnel into which the snow passes from the pulverizing receptacle, while Figure 6 is a detail sectional view, showing more details of said means, and

Figure 7 is a sectional, detail view of the water v;

inlet spray through which hot water passes to said snow-melting chamber.

As illustrated, my apparatus is adapted to be connected to the usual internal combustion motor M such as automobiles are equipped with and The nature of the invention is said chamber 2 I which are cooled by the circulation of water. The heated water passes out of the water jacket or water circulation portions of said motor M through a conduit 20 to my snow-melting chamber 21 The interior of the upper portion of said conduit is threaded as at 22. A short distance below the upper end of said conduit 20 an open anchor plate 24 is screw-threadedly connected to the threaded interior portion 22 of said conduit. Said anchor plate has a threaded hole 26 in the center portion thereof. Located over and slightly above the upper outside of the discharge endof said conduit 20 is a closure plate that serves as a spray member 21 which is held in a predetermined position by a coiled spring 28 that extends between and bears against said anchor plate 24 and said spray member 21. Said spring 28 is held in position by a screw 29 which extends through said spray member 21 and said spring 28 and screw-threadedly enters said threaded hole 26. The hot waterfrom the motor M passes out of the space left between the top of said conduit 20 and said spray member 2'! thereby causing the water to enter said snow-melting chamber 2| in as fine and widely distributed streams or spray as is desirable. Inasmuch as the snow passes down into said chamber 2| from above, the streams of hot water will strike some of said snow before it actually enters said tank, thereby obtaining the maximum melting effect of said hot water.

A return conduit 3|! from said chamber 2| to said motor M provides means for passage of sufiicient water back to said motor M for the needs of the circulating system and to provide a constant supply of hot water from said motor M to A pump 3| forces the circulation of said water in said system. The water is rapidly heated by said motor M, as the usual radiator, fan and cooling means commonly used with internal combustion motors are purposely not allowed to function. As the snow melts in said chamber 2| water rapidly rises in said chamber and some passes out through the overflow outlet 33 in said chamber 2| and onto the ground below or it may be piped away to some definite place of disposal, such as a sewer.

Said chamber 2| is held in position by supportand rotatably connected thereto is a rotatable snow-receiving funnel 60 which has an eccentric outlet 6| at one side thereof, whereby snow will pass from said receptacle 50 through said funnel 60 into said snow-melting chamber 2| near a side thereof. Said funnel 60 is rotated by means of a large driven gear 63 which is attached to a depending portion 63a of said gear 63, which gear meshes with a pinion gear 64 that is driven by a vertical drive shaft 65 that in turn is rotated by the crank shaft 66 of the said motor M. This is accomplished through worm 66a and, worm wheel 6%, and through bevel gears 660. In the event my apparatus is attached to the usual type of motor vehicle this arrangement avoids serious obstruction of the view ahead.

Said shaft 65 extends from said pinion gear 64 upwardly to a point where bevel gears 61 transmit the power from said shaft 65 to a horizontal shaft 68 and thence through bevel gears 69.to said grinder shaft 52, thereby rotating said shaft 52, which performs the grinding operation. Said horizontal shaft 68 is rotatably mounted in the outer wall of said receptacle at two dif ferent places 69a and 10.

Fastened by screws H to said receptacle 50 at its lower extremity is a ring member or skirt 12 which serves as a support for said large gear 63 which latter completely encircles said receptacle 50. Saidgear 63 is rotatably mounted on rollers 14 which are held in place by screws 15. Said rollers 14 travel on said skirt 12 thereby supporting said gear 63. This gear 63 is also centrally located by rollers 16 held in place by screws 11 which rollers roll against the outside periphery of said receptacle 50. This permits a rotative movement of the gear 63 with the least amount of friction. Said funnel 60 is fastened to said depending portion 630. of said gear 63 by bolts 18.

While it is not absolutely necessary to rotate said funnel 6B, and it could be an integral part of said receptacle 50 in the event it was stationary, nevertheless its rotation is helpful inasmuch as it insures fairly even distribution of the snow falling into said snow-melting chamber 2|, thereby avoiding the piling up of the snow in one place.

Said pulverizer-receptacle 50 may be fed by manually shoveling snow into it, or a snow loader S may be associated therewith to unload the snow into it, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.

My apparatus may also be built into a motor vehicle, or it can be made separately as an attachment for a motor vehicle, preferably mounting the principal parts of it to one side of the motor.

What I claim is:

1. Snow melting apparatus in combination with an internal combustion motor having means for circulating water through the cooling -jacket thereof, said apparatus comprising a snow-melting chamber, conduits in communication with said water circulating means and extending to said chamber whereby heated water passes from said means to said chamber and thence to said means, a snow-receiving receptacle embodying movable grinding means within it, power-transmitting means operably extending from said m0- tor to said grinding means, funnel means to receive snow from said receptacle and means to support said receptacle, funnel and chamber which are so positioned relative to each other that snow will pass respectively from said receptacle to said funnel and thence to said chamher.

2. Snow melting apparatus in combination with an internal combustion motor having means for circulating water through the cooling jacket thereof, said apparatus comprising a snow-melting chamber, conduits in communication with said water circulating means and extending to said chamber whereby heated water passes from said means to said chamber and thence to said means, a snow-receiving receptacle embodying movable grinding means within it, power transmitting means operably extending from said m0- tor to said grinding means, a rotatable funnel below said receptacle, power transmitting means operably connected to said motor and to said funnel whereby said funnel is rotated, and means to support said chamber, said receptacle and said funnel, said receptacle, funnel and chamber being so positioned relative to each other that snow will pass respectively from said receptacle to said funnel and thence to said chamber.

3. Snow melting apparatus in combination with an internal combustion motor having means for circulating water through the cooling jacket thereof and a pipe for the escape of exhaust gases, said apparatus comprising a snow-melting chamber, conduits in communication with said water circulating means and extending to said chamber whereby heated water passes from said means to said chamber and thence to said means, a snow-receiving receptacle embodying movable grinding means within it, power-transmitting means operably extending from said. motor to said grinding means, conduits in communication with said exhaust pipe extending into said chamber, and supporting means for said chamber and receptacle, said receptacle and chamber being so positioned relativeto each other that snow will pass from said receptacle to said chamber.

4. Snow melting apparatus in combination with an internal combustion motor having means for circulating water through the cooling jacket thereof, said apparatus comprising a snow-melting chamber, conduits in communication with said water circulating means and extending to said chamber whereby heated water passes from said means to said chamber and thence to said means, a snow-receiving receptacle embodying movable grinding means, power-transmitting means operably extending from said motor to said grinding means, and means to support said chamber and receptacle, said receptacle and chamber being so positioned relative to each other that ground snow in said receptacle will pass to said chamber.

5. Snow melting apparatus in combination with an internal combustion motor having means for circulating water through the cooling jacket thereof, and having an exhaust pipe extending therefrom, said apparatus comprising a snowmelting chamber embodying a bottom and side structure and being adapted to hold water and having an opening at the top with a connection to receive heated water from such Water jacket, and having an outlet opening below said top to permit the passage of water out of said chamber, and conduits in communication with said chamber at said top and with said outlet opening for the passage of water therethrough, said chamthereof, said apparatus comprising a snow-melting chamber, a conduit in communication with said water circulating means and extending to and over said chamber whereby heated Water passes from said means to said chamber, a conduit in communication with said means and extending to said chamber at a point below the top thereof, a snow-receiving receptacle embodying movable grinding means within it, powertransmitting means operably extending from said motor to said grinding means, and means mounted on said motor to support said chamber and receptacle, said receptacle and chamber being so positioned relative to each other that ground snow in said receptacle will pass to said chamber.

WILLIAM J. OBRIEN. 

